Water-gage.



PATENTED DEC. 25, 1906.

N. J. MURPHY; WATER GAGE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. e. 1906.

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NICHOLAS J. MURPHY, OF ASBURY PARK, NEW JERSEY.

WATER-GAGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Dec. 25, 1906.

Application filed February 6, 1906. Serial No, 299.754.

To (LZZ whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that I, NICHOLAS J. MURPHY, of Asbury Park, in the county of Monmouth and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in I/Vater- Gages; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same This invention relates to that class of wa ter-gages for steam-boilers in which the glass may be removed and replaced or cleaned while in place without changing the position of the valve.

As heretofore constructed water-gages having for their purpose the object stated have attained the result by the relative locations of the valve-stems and the glass. These constructions, so far as I am aware, have failed of adoption on account of the impractic-able features which they included and the cost of manufacture. In some of them the structural features have required so much space that too long a passage between the glass and the boiler has been necessary, while in others employing check-valves designed to be automatically seated in the event of the glass breaking the ports controlled by such check-valves have frequently become clogged by sediment and communication between the glass and the boiler has been cut ofl without the knowledge of the attendant.

The primary object of my invention is to attain the desired purpose by the construc tion of the valve-stem, whereby a passage is always provided to the gage, whether the valve be fully seated or fully unseated or in any intermediate position. By this means the valve-stem may be directly over the glass, as common in gages not designed for the purpose stated, and the valve-casing may differ but slightly from the ordinary design.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view. Fig. 2 is a horizontal view of one of the valves, and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view thereof.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the steam-boiler or other high-pressure fluidreservoir, .and 2 a watercolumn having its passages 3 4 connected, respectively, with the steam and water spaces of the boiler, as common in the art.

5 is the gageglass, connected by passages may be dispensed with and the glass connected direct with the boiler.

7 designates the valve-casings, two of which are employed, one at the upper and one at the lower end of the glass. 1n the top of the upper valve-casing is a port 8, covered by plug 9, directly over or in alinement with the glass 5, while the lower valve-casing is formed with a lower extension 10 below the entrance-point of its passage 6. The lower valve-casing may be provided at its side with a peteock. As shown, this lower valve-casing forms a seat for the glass, an internal shoulder 12 of width corresponding to the thickness of the glass serving as an appropriate means for attaining the purpose.

The valve-stems 13 are each provided with disks 14 at their inner ends designed to control the passages 6 and operated by handwheels 15. As shown, each of the valve stems is provided with an open frame 16, forming part of the stem and movable therewith preferably through guides or channels 17, formed in the sides of the valve-casing, as shown in Fig. 3. The outer portion of the stem is rotatable in the frame and the disk 14 rigidly secured to the latter. This frame is of such length that through it a passage will always be maintained from the glass 5 to the port 8, whether the valve is seated or unseated, the swivel connection .of the frame to the stem enabling the frame to move back and forth on rotating the stem and the channels 17 preventing the axial turn of the frame. By this means it is always possible to gain access to the glass by removing plug 9 and inserting a brush to remove the film or deposit which may have collected on the inner surface of the glass. For this purpose the valves would of course preferably be seated to prevent the escape of steam, after which the glass may be cleaned in the manner stated, or it may be quickly removed and replaced through port 8. I have shown a rib 17 a on the plug, having a knife-edge and designed to prevent the insertion of a glass of such length as to contact with the body of the plug and stop the passage from the boiler to the glass. This rib will always maintain a passage to the glass.

To avoid the necessity of shutting off the steam, however, for the purpose of cleaning the glass, I have shown a brush 1S, inclosed within the extension 10 of the lower valve 6 to the water-column, although the latter 1 and normally below the passage from the latter to the water-space of the boiler. This brush may be of any preferred material to enable it to withstand the action of the hot water and is provided with a shank 19, passing through a stuffing-box 20. The attendant may readily clean the glass by reciprocating the brush up and down in the glass, the frame 16 of the lower valve affording an unobstructed passage-way for the brush. This is of especial advantage when the glass is arranged at a height above the reach of the attendant. As an appropriate means for providing a handle for the brush without occupying too much space when not in use I have shown one of the guard-rods 21 formed with a threaded extremity 22, designed to be accommodated by a threaded socket 23 on the shank of the brush. The guard-rod may readily be removed from its plates 24 and inserted in the socket and used to operate the brush.

From what has been said it will be seen that I have provided extremely simple and inexpensive means for gaining access to the glass for removing or cleaning it and that the desired purpose is attained without the employment of numerous or complicated features of construction.

I claim as my invention 1. In a water-gage for steam-boilers, a glass, a valve-casing having a port in alinement with said glass, guides in said casing, and a valve in said casing controlling the passage from the boiler to the glass, said valve having its stem extended through said casing, said stem having an open frame movable in said guides, and a swivel connection between said stem and said frame, whereby said frame constantly affords, with said port, means of access to said glass and a passage for the removal of the latter.

2. In a water-gage for steam-boilers, a glass, a valve-casing having a port in alinement with said glass, and having guides or channels in the inner faces of its side walls, and a valve in said casing controlling the passage-from the boiler to the glass, said seated within said extension and beneath.

said passage from the boiler to said casing, and a shank on said brush projecting without the lower end of said extension.

4. In a water-gage, a glass, a valve-casing at the lower end thereof having a depending extension in alinement with said glass, a brush designed to be accommodated by said extension and having a shank or rod projecting without the lower end of the latter, and a valve in said casing controlling the passage from the boiler to the glass, said valve being provided with a stem having a passage therein affording communication between said ex tension and said glass.

5. In a water-gage,a glass, a valve-casing at the lower end thereof having a depending extension in alinement with said glass, a brush designed to be accommodated by said extension and having a shank or rod projecting without the lower end of the latter, and a valve in said casing controlling the passage from the boiler to the glass, said valve being provided with a stem having an open frame movable therewith, a swivel connection between said stem and said frame whereby said frame constantly affords communication be tween said extension and said glass.

6. In a water-gage, a glass, a valve-casing having an extension in alinement with said glass, a brush'designed to be accommodated by said extension and having a shank projecting without the latter, said casing also having guides or channels in the inner faces of its side walls, and a valve in said casing controlling the passage from the boiler to the glass, said valve having its stem provided with an open frame movable in said guides or channels and affording communication between said extension and said glass. I

7. The herein-described water-gage comprising a glass, valve-casings at the upper and lower ends of said glass, valves in said casings controlling the passages from the boiler to the glass, said valves having their stems extended through their respective casings and disposed transversely to the plane of said glass, said stems carrying open frames constantly in alinement with said glass, said upper valvecasing having a port in its upper side, and said lower valve-casing having an extension in its lower side, a brush in said extension having a shank extending without the latter, said port and said extension being in alinement with said glass and with said frames, substantially as set forth.

8. In a water-gage, a glass, a valve-casing having an extension in alinement with said glass, a brush designed to be accommodated ITO by said extension and having a shank projecting without the latter, said shank having a threaded socket at its free end, and a removable guard-rod on the gage having a threaded extremity designed to be accommodated by the socket on said shank, for the purpose stated.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

NICHOLAS J. MURPHY.

Witnesses:

GRAFTON L. MoGILL, ALroE D. LIND. 

